Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1887-08-25
FORTY YEARS A POSTWAR.
Charles A. Tyler Has Alone Handed
Out over Five Million Letters.

Charles A. Tyler Has Alone Handed
Out over Five Million Letters.
Little has ever been written about
the old postmen who have spent their
lives working for us here, says The
NeD Iork World The CHER officials
in the postoilice building do not like to
have the employees interviewed. There
is someth ng pathetic in the life
work of these men, who, when they
get too old to attend to their duties,
are showed aside to starve. If so be.
Other faithful public servants are PEN
sioned: Not so with these men. With
postmen, more than with almost any
othercla SIS of public servants, lengthy
service means proved trustworthiness.
Thousands of dollars pass through
their hands, and valuable documents
and important letters are intrusted to
them. But people forget these things.
Less ornamental than the policeman as
sidewalk adornment, and infinitely
more useful. the postman's fam lar
figure betrays nothing of the time he
has done duty on the streets. There
are no stripes on the postman's coat
sleeve indicating the years he has
travelled to and fro on his peaceful
errands Yet each year added to his
record sheds a luster upon his char
acter as an honest employe of the gov
eminent. The drawback, so for as he
is concerned is that he hourishes in
virtue comparatively unknown. Nom
political he has hope for no advance
ment by influence. He is wholly at
the mercy of his superiors. who cast
ght or shade upon his existence rs
they may choose. He is doomed to
hard work year in and year out The
people of one district no sooner become
acquainted with him than he is remov-
ed to another and he is quickly forgot
ten by his former friends.
Thus letter-carrier may go on his
rounds for twenty or thirty years with
out the fact being publicly known. A
letter-carrier with the patience of Job
and the modesty of saint could pass
lifetime delivering mail in this city
quaintances being aware Of it.
Charles A. Tyler has the longest rec
ord of any postman perhaps in the
United States. certainly in New York.
He was appointed in 1916 through the
fundamentally of Edwin Crosswell. then
editor of The albany Argus. He has
done every kind of postal work-deliv-
cred and collected letters. superintend-
ed station and clerked at a money
order office. Since 1880 he has attend
ed to all the mail matter on Governors
island, where he is a general favorite.
forty-three years is long time TO pass
in any department of the civil serv .ce.
As the experience of q letter-carr er il
implies not only a career of rectitude,
but familiarity with the various changes
that have affected our postal system
Mr.. Tyler's hair has grown silvery in
the work. He is GA years OF age and
far from infrm. There were twenty
| five regular carriers when he sought a
position among them. He commenced
as an outside assistant The regulars
had the privilege Of hiring whatever
help they needed. Finally he obtained
route to himself, some two and a half
niles round, with the city hall as its
center. Fifty men are now detailed to
it.
Those were halcyon days for the post
men. They had their deliveries daily
at A. NJ, noon, and 3 p M. They
levied tribute on the public. For each
letter delivered they received 2 cents
and for each newspaper l cent. Many
of them made money. When they had
more mail than they could distribute
they resorted to drug store or gro
Gerry. where they parceled up the sur
plus for their assistants to deliver. 1t
was nothing for a regular" to earn
so or Sl2 per day, and his gains in
creased when the gold fever broke out.
The first Improvement in the post
Office was to stamp the amount of post
age on the cover of the mail. II in red
letters, it was to be paid by the receiv-
err Some amusing incidents occurred
in this connect on. The carriers did
not quite comprehend the salary princi-
pie. A list of the postage they were to
collect was kept by Il clerk. and on Fri
day, which was payday, the total sum
for the week was deducted from their
wages. We'll" said Mr.. Tyler. "as a
set-off against this imposition. as they
called i.-for it was mighty hard to
convince them that the postage charg-
ed was not their due-some of them col
lected the amount on the envelope,
whether it was printed in black or red
figures. Consequently double postage
was extorted on some letters. So long
as the public did not grumble the carri-
ers were indifferent. They did it to be
on the safe side, and sure enough.
when Friday came round, the majority
of them not only had enough to meet
the bill of red but a nice nest-egg for
the following week.
Mr.. Tyler calculates that he has de-
livered over five million pieces of mail
matter since he joined the service. in
GLIDING at least half million letters,
etc. TO Governor's island.